An interview with A’yen

A’yen met his interviewer’s gaze head-on. “What is it you want to know, Rachel?”

Rachel studies him for a long moment. His blond hair brushes his shoulders, and his heart-stopping blue eyes leave no doubt as to his species. Sapphires, multi-faceted and sparkling like gemstones, in the way of all Loks eyes. His mere presence fills the tiny room. He’s not a small man, standing at six-four and well muscled. “Whatever I can drag out of you. I have readers dying to know more about you.”

A’yen arches an eyebrow. “Really? There’s not that much about me others find interesting.”

She crosses her legs and settles into her chair. His markings–tattoos designed to control his strength–shimmer in the sunlight coming in the window behind him. He hates the markings, hates the pain they cause. Yet they also make sure he never goes unnoticed, since they accentuate his muscular frame. “You were willing to die to protect the woman who holds your heart. Romance readers find that irresistible.”

“I don’t care for that word. Irresistible.” He shuddered. “Never means anything good to me.”

She sighs. “I know. I created you, after all. Though I was as surprised as you when the irresistible thing came out.”

A’yen relaxes a little. Probably from the sunlight making its way into the markings on his arms and easing his constant pain. “Her determination. No matter how much I doubted her, or made her life impossible, she never gave up. On her dreams or me. I admire that, since I’d given up on mine at the time.”

“Was falling in love with her difficult, after the way you lost Wayan?”

“Oh gosh yes.” He narrows his eyes in a fierce glare. “You put me through it, so you know how hard it was. I’m only sure I can forgive you for it when Fae touches me and everything inside goes boom.”

“She needed you as much as you need her. That being needed is crucial to healing from any kind of emotional trauma.” Rachel shakes her head. “You know that too, since you were part of mine.”

“Sometimes I wish you’d been a little nicer about it,” he grumbles.

Rachel flashes him a grin. “Can’t be too nice, or there’s no story. What’s the first thing you notice about a woman?”

“Geez. What a loaded question. You know damn well there have only been two women in my whole life I’ve ever noticed.”

“Answer the question, A’yen.”

He sticks his tongue out in a moment of childish indulgence. “Hair and eyes. Eyes are also what I notice about human men. They reveal everything you need to know about a person.”

“Such as?”

“Well…with humans, I can tell with one glance at their eyes whether or not they see me as a real person, or a thing to control. That’s a skill every Loks male has to develop. It’s almost a survival mechanism.” A’yen shifts a little in his seat, stretching his legs out. He’s wearing shorts, and the markings down the outside of each leg glisten in the sunlight. “The first time Fae looked at me, I wasn’t really a person to her, but I wasn’t a thing either. People like that can go either way. It’s why I pushed her so hard that first couple months. I had to know what she’d do.”

A softness overtakes him, and his body relaxes fully into his chair. “She didn’t disappoint. Falling in love with her was the second best adventure of my life.”

“What’s the first best?”

“Being with her, of course. She completes me. As I complete her.” The softness is in his eyes now, and Rachel knows his thoughts are totally on Fae.

“What’s it like being a telepath?”

A’yen jerks. “That’s an abrupt change. Why do you ask?”

“I can tell from the look on your face you’re talking to Fae. And she’s not here.”

He sticks his tongue out again, then resettles in his seat. “It’s weird. Especially since for the first thirty years of my life, I didn’t know all males of my species are telepaths. Most of us aren’t functional, thanks to the damn markings. I did wonder for a little while as a teen if I was losing my mind.”

“Do you hear thoughts all the time?”

A’yen shakes his head. “Thank god, no. I have to focus, and it’s harder with humans anyway. Except Fae, because we’re so deeply connected.” He cocks his head. “Although, I do hear everything you think. Since I exist in your head.” A wicked glint passes through his eyes.

“Playing practical jokes with my best friend Pete, sketching, and watercolor painting. I’m having a lot of fun trying to paint the trees here. There’s so many colors, and it all changes every time the sun moves.” He leans forward. “If you want something juicy to share with the readers, I think I have just the thing.”

Rachel leans forward too. “What?”

A’yen looks around, probably to make sure there’s no one else around. “Tomorrow, I’m asking Fae to marry me.” His lips compress in a telltale effort to hide a smile. “I never thought somebody like me would get the chance to go down on one knee.”

“Are you excited?”

“I think it’ll be the greatest adventure I’ve ever had.”

A’yen and Fae’s married adventure starts in book two, The King’s Mistress.